Twice a year I make the pilgrimage down to the unofficial home of Australian motorsport – the demographically fluctuating New South Wales town of Bathurst, nestled just a short drive across the Blue Mountains, inland from Sydney.
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The first pilgrimage is for the legendary Bathurst 1000. The real race that stops the nation, every October. And now, my second steadfast Bathurst adventure occurs every November, The Dane Ballinger Memorial Truck Show.
Now this year saw the October pilgrimage to Bathurst rewarded with an epically entertaining 6 hour and 52-minute-long race. They packed it with seven safety car callouts and a whole lot of precipitation periods that added some sizzling sideways action. All in all, it was a top-notch race and set the bar pretty high for my Bathurst expectations.
The pressure was on to ensure my November roadtrip was as fulfilling and entertaining as my October one. Yes, I do admit, as much as I love my car racing, especially around the Mountain, the truck show experience put on every year in the tiny town has quickly become my preference of the two pilgrimages.
What makes the Dane Ballinger Memorial Truck Show one of my favourites on the truck show calendar is the variety involved. Mixing machinery with markets. Mixing local fans and enthusiasts with out-of-town truck nuts and more than a handful of truck spotters from near and far.
The other unique aspect of this show that I love isn’t just the standard of the trucks on display, it is the fact that this show encourages combinations. Trailers of all variation are welcomed into the Bathurst Show Grounds. This isn’t just a bobtail truck show.
Then there is the mixture of trucks as well.
The Dane Ballinger Memorial Truck Show aims to attract the best of the best and the newest of the new, as well as encouraging the older fossils to come on out and peacock some of their classic old school cool historic vehicles.
It is aligned with the yearly Bathurst Christmas markets and in doing so offers access to a wider array of visitors to both niche events.
I saw plenty of the general public taking the time to wander in field amongst the trucks. I heard many admitting their admiration for how clean and shiny the trucks were.
And I also tailed more than a few trucking shirts as they sauntered through the markets, picking up crystals and coffee, or enjoying some authentic Thai food, then browsing for the hundred odd things they didn’t know they needed until the purchased them.
It is this mix of cultures, along with the variety of trucks on display that continues to track my butt down here every year. It is a fantastic show.
However, after such an epically cool October adventure, was there any way my November Nirvana, the Dane Ballinger Memorial Truck Show, could compete with one of the best Bathurst 1000s we have seen? Short answer, Hell yes!
This year’s Dane Ballinger Memorial Truck Show raised the bar once again. It is a small-town show, building a big town reputation and a lot of the credit needs to fall on the shoulders of Debbie Campbell and Haylie Osborne from Designer Events in Bathurst. These two lovely ladies are the backbone of the entire event – combining the Truck Show and Markets, as well as a Sunday swap meet into an action-packed weekend.
This year I chose to get into town a day or so before the show so I could catch up with these ladies and get a feel for the town, pre-show day. Getting a feel for the town was easy, there’s only a couple of industrial areas and not a lot of places to hide. Which means a lot of the local transport companies that get in behind the show are more than willing to help out those looking for a hose and a quiet place to polish.
As you may know Bathurst is not a town on the direct freight route for many trucks and it takes a lot of camaraderie and support to get a lot of these guys in for the show and cleaned up.
I spent the Friday before staging touring around the town, witnessing the kind of teamwork that has made our industry what it is. Local companies opening up the wash bays to guys that had travelled extensively just to attend and support this show. Trucks from Brisbane, Canberra, Tasmania, and many other areas make their own pilgrimage to be part of this event and this year even more so.
I was unable to pin Debbie down at all with her pre-show workload but was able to interrupt Haylie long enough to learn that by Thursday they had already set a new record for pre-registrations – 183 trucks. By the time the show opened on Saturday however the official Truck Show entrants had peaked at 186. With more than a dozen other trucks on ground. Bringing the cumulative tally to just over 200 trucks.
Officially the show starts Saturday morning, however Friday night at the showgrounds is the place to be. Around 4pm the trucks start rolling in, staging up and putting the pressure on the Picasso of Parking, Jamie Woods, once again. If you recall last year I did heap a fair bit of praise on the Brisbane-based transport operator, acknowledging his skills at parking so many trucks, with such precision and with little, to no heads up as to what and when it will arrive. Yes, this year he forced me to bring a drone in order to assist with his overview, but he still handled the situation impressively.
As the light started to drop, the traffic into the grounds seemed to increase. Combatting a water truck that seemed hell bent on stirring up the polishers, and limited holding areas, Jamie once again did a fantastic job. I pulled the pin around midnight after the impressive D A Campbell fleet rolled in, but Jamie was still directing traffic until arund 3am.
As I rocked up fresh as a daisy at 7am on show day I was in awe of the rigs that had rolled in through the night. Dean Campbell’s fleet of outstanding Kenworths were pride of place. There were also all the other regulars, like the incredible Lawrence transport team from Sydney, Bathurst-based Cranstons Transport, the always popular Raygal tippers and of course the 2023 and 2024 winner, Adrian Fenench’s stunning K200 Kenworth just to mention a few.
There was also a lot of first timers rocking up this year as well.
Scott Taylor of Scott Taylor Motorsport rolled in with his incredible 900 Legend and an eye-catching load of classic race cars and a cool-as-hell old International and spread axle trailer.
I am not being biased when I trumpet this truck, young Sam Ballinger agreed and selected Scott’s ride for the coveted Sam’s Choice award, hence it wasn’t just me that appreciated how cool the rig was.
There were several new classics added to the Historic section of the show, and some different set ups as well. Just check out the 10-wheeler Agi with the beach ball tyres.
What was particularly cool this year however was the story behind this year’s Truck of the Show, well more the driver, Joseph Corte. Not only did Joey pick up Truck of the Show with the Kenworth SAR Legend that he drives for the family company JDN Transport, he also picked up Best Kenworth, Best Traditional paint and signage, Best Pantech up to 2021, Best Modern Art and Best Interstate 2022-2025.
That horde of awards still isn’t what I found the best part of Joey’s story. It is more the legacy and progression behind Joey’s Truck of the Show award.
As I mentioned this show is a lock every year for me and over the years I have been covering it, I am pretty sure I have managed to capture a shot of Joey cleaning every single time. Each year however it has been in a larger ride. Joey’s license progression has been documented via the Dane Ballinger Memorial Truck Show. His step up in license class verified by the size of the truck I would catch him cleaning each year. Culminating in a well-deserved Truck of the Show performance for 2025.
All in all, it is fair to say once again that this show has knocked it out of the park again. If you only came to appreciate how immaculate Dean Campbell’s fleet is alone, you would leave satisfied. But add in the plethora of outstanding rigs, the incredibly diverse Christmas markets and even the chance to ride a camel, you can’t go wrong with the Dane Ballinger Memorial Truck Show. Lock it in for November 2026.
In Memoriam:
Kurt Finnerty and Mekaela Nairne along with their four children were enjoying the Dane Ballinger Memorial Truck Show, supporting Cranston’s Transport, who Kurt drove for when this picture was taken. Sadly, Kurt was in a truck crash near Dunedoo on November 27 and did not survive. The thoughts of the entire trucking community and those around Bathurst go out to the Mekaela and the family. A GoFundMe page has been set up by Kurt’s sister Kaitlan Weal to help the family out.
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